Chapter One

Natalie stared out the window of the train as it moved across the state, it was amazing how surreal this all seemed, she could remember when she had left this place not so long ago and yet here she was, returning to the one place she never dreamed she would be going back to.

To say this was a nightmare was an understatement, she had left her home town almost 3 years ago and almost to the day she had left she was going back, she felt like a failure, a loser, she hated this almost as much as she hated her life.

See this is what happens when you trust the wrong person, when you let your guard down, when you finally allow yourself to be open and love another, its exactlly what happened to her and the images from the day before were still very fresh in her head and she just knew that they would never ever leave..

It wasnt often that she left work early, hell she worked so much at the AC Police station that at times she had slept there, so maybe she should of seen this coming but then again she was niave and in love, a mistake she would never make again, that she was sure of...

She stared at all the passing buildings, to head back home a failure was one thing but to head back and to know that everyone and their mother knew your business was another, Lanview wasnt like AC, the entire population was only two thousand people, hell you could fit that many in a city block of AC but she tried not to think of it, she tried not to think of the stares and the whispering she would have to endure, it was humiliating but atleast one thing was good, she wasnt running back to her parents place, not that they hadnt tried to get her to go home, no, this time she was moving in with her best friend and in time she hoped to sort out her crazy pathetic life..

Days prior...

She had come home early from work and much to her surprise her boyfriend Cris's car was there and she smiled, how much more perfect could this get, now maybe they could actually get to spend some time together, she walked to the door of her apartment and stepped inside, it was quiet and dark as she looked around, she wondered if he was sleeping and so she patted softly towards the bedroom but a sound caught her attention and it wasnt just any sound, it was a womans voice and for a second she thought it was the tv playing, nothing would of prepared her for what she saw next cause as she opened the bedroom door she froze cause right there, in their bed, the one they had shared for the last three years was Cris but he wasnt alone and he wasnt dressed, no... He was naked and currently fucking some chick as she stood undetected for a moment.

It was as if her life at that very moment stopped to a halt, she couldnt believe what she was seeing, it didnt seem real and the bile rose thick and heavy in her throat, she must of made some sort of noise cause the next thing she knew Cris was turning his head during mid thrust and looking at her like a deer caught in the headlights and that was it, she bolted out of the room and out of the apartment, her chest heaving as she got outside and the cool air hit her face as she gasped for breath as though she were dying..

His voice made her turn as she saw Cris running out with nothing but a pair of boxers on.."Natalie...Natalie wait" he called out as she ran to her car, fumbling she dropped her keys to the ground with shaky hands, she needed to get out of there.."natalie" he said again as he neared her..

"Get away from me" she yelled frantically as he got over to her.."How could you" she could feel the breakdown coming on as she stood there, it was as if everything that she held dear in the world was falling away from her..

"natalie its not what it" he began with excuses as she looked at him in shock..

"are you kidding, you were fucking someone in our bed" she yelled angrily..

"natalie, baby just listen to me" he reached out for her and she jumped back as if he was infected with some rare virus, my god did she even know this man in front of her?

"dont you dare touch me" she spat out bitterly as tears pricked her eyes..Other neighbors were pulling up now and the humiliation she felt was too much to bear..

"natalie i didnt think" he began as she fumbled with her keys again, she couldnt even open her car door she was shaking so bad..

"You didnt think? What? That i would come home early, that i would catch you, how could you, this is our place, our home!" she yelled at him and then she saw it, like a horrible nightmare out of some redneck tv show, there came the woman from her bed, all blonde and leggy, standing with only a damn sheet on, her sheet, the one she had picked out just a few months ago, she felt sick, she honestly thought she would hurl..

"Cris" the girl called out.."Just let her go"

He looked at her and then at Natalie.."Unbelivable, you know what, she is right let me go" Natalie yelled as she finally got her car door unlocked..

"Natalie i love you" Cris yelled at her..

"stay the hell away from me" she yelled as she skidded out of the parking lot, damn near running him over as he chased after the car, and she just kept driving, she drove all night with tears coursing down her cheek, her life was over, officially and completely over..

The sound of the train conductor speaking over the loud speaker and announcing the arrival to Lanview made her stomach clench, this was it, like it or not she was back in Lanview..

She heard Gigi before she even saw her and then within seconds she was nearly being knocked over as she got off the train and Gigi hugged her.."Oh my god Nat i missed you so much, you have no idea" she began as she hugged natalie tightly..

"Missed you too" Natalie began as she tried to gasp for breath as Gigi continued to hug her..

"You look amazing, i mean you lost some weight and you need to eat more but look at you" Gigi said with excitement as she finally pulled back and looked at her friend..

"Thanks you look awesome" natalie said as she took in Gigi's new look, she had short multicolored hair cut into a pixie do, she was dressed in a small concert tshirt and skinny jeans, on her feet were black combat boots, yep this was the punky Gigi she remembered, she was sure that gigi was the only one who could pull off this look and look damn hot while doing it..

"I havent even showered yet" Gigi laughed as natalie looked up at the large man coming over, he had to be atleast six and a half feet tall with long black hair that went down his back and he was dressed similar to Gigi with a concert tshirt and jeans, though not skinny thankfully and finished off with black boots, he was intimidating to say the least.."Oh oh and this is Steele, steele this is natalie my bestie" Gigi said with a grin..

"Natalie" Steele nodded politely at her and she swallowed hard as she looked at the two of them, Gigi looked really happy and that was saying something..

"well lets get out of here, i seriously need a drink" Gigi said as she grabbed natalies hand and off they went..

It was so weird being back in lanview, it seemed like nothing changed at all and natalie knew that she would eventually have to see her parents and she dreaded that even though they were fully aware of her coming back..

They headed to Rodi's, a small bar in town, a place natalie use to frequent when she lived there and yet that too seemed the same. They all ordered beers and made their way to a table, natalie faked a smile as Gigi went on about her new life as a tattoo artist, Steele too was in the field, apparently that was how they met and they were happy, that was apparent.. Thankfully Gigi had kept all conversation about Cris to a minimum but natalie knew all to well that Gigi was just waiting for them to be alone for her to start with the million and one questions..

Gigi had done well for herself over the years, Natalie was happy for her and a bit jealous, it seemed Gigi had gotten everything she had wanted in life, atleast it was working out for someone..

"so have you given any thought about what you wanna do now that your here" Gigi began with the questions.."Im sure your uncle would be thrilled to hire you"

"Yeah i havent thought to much about it" natalie said honestly, she really hated having to go to her uncle and beg for a job, i mean she was a forensic tech, its not like she could just get a job anywhere..

"she is an awesome forensic tech" Gigi gushed to Steele and natalie turned red.."and her uncle just happens to be the commish"

"lets not remind me of that" Natalie said with embarassment..

"Your uncle is the commish, but he is a Buchanan" Steele said in shock as he looked at both the girls.."Your a Buchanan?"

Natalie hung her head down, she hated to be reminded of that fact, the word always seem to infuse fear and well intimidation in people, she hated it growing up and she still hated it now..

"You know what, why dont we get another round of drinks" Gigi said quickly as she tried to change the subject.."what do you say sweetie"she said towards Steele with a nod of her head..

"yeah i'll uh, i'll go do that" he said as he looked at Gigi and then natalie and walked over to the bar..

"Im sorry" Gigi began as Natalie looked at her.."I know you hate to associate yourself" she began..

"its not that, its just,...you know how people look at me differently, i just" she sighed.."thats why i moved away from here in the first place, i was tired of being just another Buchanan" she said honestly..

"How are you doing really" Gigi asked with concern..

"im fine" Natalie sipped the rest of her beer..

"have you heard from him" Gigi asked..

"I dont want to talk about him" Natalie said quickly..

"Im really sorry about everything but i wont lie, im happy as shit that your here" Gigi said with a soft smile..

"Yeah im happy too" Natalie forced a smile, she honestly couldnt wait til the rest of the drinks came, she wanted nothing more than to just forget everything..

They continued to drink as the night went on and at nearly 11pm they all headed back to the apartment, Gigi had given her a quick run down of the place as well as a tour but Natalie wanted nothing more than to just be alone now, being back in lanview after everything that had happened was just a little overwhelming to say the least..So she said goodnight to Gigi and closed the door to her new bedroom and she sighed as she stood there, this was it, she was back at home groveling and with that she fell onto the bed..

It was dark in the room and very early in the morning when she heard a loud thud that woke her from her not so rested sleep and then the feel of the bed unexpectedly moving made her jump as she spun only to see the figure of a man on the bed and she screamed out as she tried to get out of the bed but the blankets were tying her down as she scrambled to get free, quickly grabbing a near by lamp as the man grumbled something and just as she went to toss the lamp her bedroom light when on as the door swung open..

"Natalie dont!" steele yelled out as she stared at him in shock and Gigi quickly came running into the room, natalie looked at them and then the strange man who was apparently trying to stand now, she held the lamp in her hand.."Just put the lamp down ok, he's my brother" Steele said as natalie looked back at the guy then at Steele and Gigi, her heart was racing dangerously fast..

"what the hell is going on" the man said drunkenly..

"this is your brother?" natalie said with confusion as she looked at the man then at Gigi and Steele..

"who's she?" the man began as he looked at Natalie...

"I told you to call next time your in town not just stop by John" Steele began..

"then what was the point of giving me the key" John continued as he looked at Natalie.."You can put the weapon down now" he said sarcastically as she quickly put the lamp back down..

"Your lucky i came when i did otherwise we'd be rushing you to the ER" Steele said with a shake of his head..

"i didnt know you had a brother" Natalie interjected..

"Yeah well John doesnt come around often unless he is in trouble" Gigi said as she looked at John..

"what? Cant i just come by to say Hi" John said with a shrug of his shoulders..

"Im gonna make some coffee" Gigi said as she spun for the door.."Nat come with me" she said and Natalie was more than happy to go, she was still a bit shakened up by all of this..

"since when do you guys have a room mate" John began as Natalie left the room and followed Gigi into the kitchen..

"I thought someone had broken in" Natalie began as Gigi walked over to the coffee pot..

"Im sorry i should of mentioned him, i just didnt think he would be coming by like that, are you ok?" Gigi asked with concern..

"yeah just a bit freaked out" Natalie said honestly..

"yeah well John is harmless...sort of" Gigi smirked..

"Ok that doesnt make me feel any better" Natalie said as she fidgeted with her hands..

"he's fine really, just a bit out there" Gigi said with a reassuring smile as she continued to make coffee.."But dont worry he usually only comes for a few days and then he is gone again"

"really, what does he do for a living" Natalie asked with curiosity..

"if i told ya then id have to kill ya" he said as he came in the kitchen and natalie turned red as she looked at him. There wasnt much of a family resemblence to him and Steele, i mean they both had long hair even though Steele's was definitely longer, both had blue eyes but John wasnt nearly as tall as Steele, he was maybe six foot and his build was alot smaller then his brothers.."hows that coffee coming along" he brought his attention to Gigi as Steele came in the kitchen..

"its coming" Gigi began as she rolled her eyes.."so what brings you back to town"

"Oh you know the usual" he grinned and then looked at natalie.."so whats your name"

"Natalie and im sorry again about the lamp" she said with embarassment..

"No harm done" he said as he walked over and put his hand out.."John" they shook and she swallowed hard, the slight charge she felt when their hands connected took her by surprise..He looked a bit caught off guard too as he pulled his hand back but it was quickly replaced with another look as he looked over at his brother.."so its cool if i crash here for a few"

"as long as there isnt an apb out on your ass" steele laughed..

"real funny bro" John said sarcastically as Gigi began taking out cups, natalie just stood back and watched the brothers interact..

"yeah well usually a 2am house calls means" steele began as John rolled his eyes..

"You know im a night owl and if i remember correctly you use to be one too before you became all domesticated" he laughed..

"hey i resent that tone, i worked hard to get him that way" Gigi laughed as Steele put his arm around her and kissed her head..

"what can i say man i got myself a great girl, you should try it sometime" Steele grinned..

"yeah i'll pass on the ole ball and chain" john laughed..

"Oh come on one day you will want to settle down" Gigi began and then she looked at Natalie.."or not" she swallowed hard..

"are you gonna jump on the relationship bandwagon too" John laughed as he looked at Natalie..

"No, i dont really" natalie began with a nervous shake of her head..

"enough about all of that" Gigi said quickly as she felt the tension rising.."how about that coffee" she said quickly as she began pouring a few cups..

"You know i think im just gonna go back to bed" Natalie said quickly as they all looked at her..

"alright but your missing out, Gi makes the best coffee in town" John grinned..

"dont you mean the country" Gigi laughed.."come on i'll walk with you" she said towards natalie..

"good night" Natalie said quickly as her and Gigi walked out of the kitchen..

"are you sure your ok" Gigi asked with concern..

"yeah im just tired, it was a long train ride" natalie said as they got to the door..

"i know it was, well listen i will take tomorrow off" Gigi began..

"Oh you dont have to do that" Natalie said quickly..

"I want to, we have so much to catch up on" Gigi said with a smile..

"yeah but the weekend will be here soon enough and i really have to stop by my parents tomorrow before they start beating down your door" she said honestly..

"do you want me to go with you" Gigi asked..

"No its fine, id rather just get it done and over with" Natalie said honestly even though the last thing she wanted to do was deal with her parents, mainly her father who hadnt liked Cris to begin with, she was sure he was gonna go on with the 'i told you so's'.

"well listen we will go out for dinner tomorrow, just me and you, that way the boys can hang out" Gigi smiled and then leaned in and hugged Natalie.."Im here for you girl, whatever you need"

"thanks and thanks for letting me stay, i promise it wont be for long" natalie began.

"dont you worry about that, you can stay as long as you like" Gigi said honestly.."night girl" she finished as she got to the door and then left, closing it behind her as natalie stood there..

Gigi made her way back into the kitchen where the guys were talking.."so whats that girls deal" John asked as she grabbed her cup of coffee..

"just a friend going through some hard times" Gigi said as she sipped her drink..

"well i guess im taking the couch then" John began..

"that would probably be a good idea, she almost knocked you out" Steele grinned..

"trust me i have been hit with worse" John grinned..

"yeah and i dont think i want an explanation to that" Gigi laughed..

"hey what can i say sometimes i bring out the best in people" John grinned as he drank back his coffee.."so is she single" he grinned..

"yeah i dont think so John" Gigi said sarcastically..

"what? " he smirked..

"trust me she doesnt need your craziness" she laughed..

"oh so now im crazy" he rolled his eyes..

"Oh i could think of some other words to describe what you are" Steele interjected..

"You know im not really feeling the love around here" John shook his head..

"yeah and its late, we gotta get to bed" Steele said as he put his arm around Gigi..

"fine, you guys suck" John said as he sipped his coffee..

"its called being employed, you should try it sometime" Steele laughed.."well see you in a few hours" they began walking towards the doorway..

"yeah yeah just kept the sex to a minimum, aint no one want to hear that at night" John grinned..

"ah your just jealous" Steele laughed.."Night bro" he said as him and Gigi left the room and John sat at the table, his mind going to a certain red head..

Natalie climbed back in the bed, she knew that it was gonna be a long day tomorrow and she already dreaded it but she closed her eyes and attempted to find sleep..